Ruth Harvey

November 6, 1926 ~
January 13, 2018

Ruth S. Harvey was born November 6, 1926, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She married Donald L. Harvey on May 22, 1945. They met as a result of Donald’s service in the Army on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico, during World War II. During the war, Ruth served in the Civil Air Patrol both as an enlisted member and as an officer. Ruth and Don had two children, Don and Mark, followed by two more children later in life, Tim and Wendy. The couple was exceptionally entrepreneurial, starting at least ten businesses, ranging from restaurants to retail, to a book distributorship, a small apartment complex, to medical equipment sales, to ranching, in their long and happy time together. Don had a professional basketball career involving extensive travel after leaving the Army, during which time Ruth raised Don and Mark, all while continuing the family businesses.

Later in life, the couple ran small cattle ranches in Colorado and Arkansas. They moved to Noxon, Montana in 1991 and later to Livingston, Montana, in 2006. Along the way, Ruth designed and oversaw the construction of three of the family’s homes.

In addition to spending time with family, some of Ruth’s happiest times were spent writing songs, stories, and poems. She was passionate about healthy living and complementary medicine.

Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, Samuel and Vera; sister, Allenay; husband, Donald; and her son, Mark. She is survived by her sister, Melody; her sons, Don Harvey and Tim Harvey; and her daughter, Wendy Harvey.

She will rest for eternity at Sunset Hills Cemetery in Bozeman, alongside husband Donald and son Mark. A private family remembrance will be held in the future.

"All of us want to express our gratitude for the way you thought ahead of us and eased the process of planning at this hard time. So many of the fine touches you added were just right. You made us feel we were the only ones on your itinerary and had all the time in the world to deal with us."